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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rash — a series
  5. squash — to crush
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. stock — goods
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. squash — the sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. content — happy
  14. rash — hasty
  15. field — farmland
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. foot — a measure
  20. content — the amount
  21. stock — shares
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. mouse — for a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com